Arduous Meaning
/ˈɑː.djuː.əs/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjNeeding or using up much energy; testing powers of endurance.
adjburning; ardent
Sentence Examples
She went through a long and arduous vocational course.
Running the Inca Trail near Machu Picchu can be arduous.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ journey across the desert exhausted the travelers in just two days.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The team faced an ____ journey across the high and snowy mountains.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Latin arduus English arduous From Latin arduus (“lofty, high, steep, hard to reach, difficult, laborious”), akin to Irish ard (“high”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Chelsea survived and can now turn their attentions to the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Germany later this month as they face an increasingly arduous task to finish in the Premier League's top four."
— 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
"1805-1814, Dante, Henry Francis Cary (translator), The Divine Comedy
Where flames the arduous Spirit of Isidore."
—
"Beyond the river, an arduous slope rises 3286 feet in 13 miles."
— 1974, Sue Bowder, The American biking atlas & touring guide, page 77:
"Mike looked up from the arduous mountain trail. They'd been climbing for five hours and he was beginning to feel irritable."
— 1999, Scott Ciencin, Mike Fredericks, Dinoverse:
"Survivor reaches as many as 28 million viewers who watch contestants win a new Pontiac or guzzle Mountain Dew after scaling an arduous cliff."
— 2006, Jack W. Plunkett, Plunkett's Entertainment & Media Industry Almanac 2006:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ journey across the desert exhausted the travelers in just two days.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The team faced an ____ journey across the high and snowy mountains.